Exchange
by Soul's Definition
Summary: Minako Arisato. A peaceful day, answers were given, she finds her skill in handling a naginata, and now being introduced to Tartarus. What else could she ask for more? Maybe for no nightmares, but no one can get everything they want, right?
1. Prologue: Exchange

The day started out like any other, as the bluish-gray eyes of the blue haired boy flitted open when he noticed the rays of sunshine flooding his room and the noise of the alarm clock, buzzing for him to wake up. The boy, acquiescing to the alarm clock's demand, laid a hand on his electronic clock to shut it up and sat upright in an attempt to prevent himself from going back to his deep slumber. A heavy sigh escaped his lips.

Mondays.

The boy yawned as he left his bed reluctantly and began putting on his school uniform, as usual. He then fitted his headphones and MP3 player around his neck, just how he liked it, grabbed his bag, and left for the front door of the lobby, not even saying a word of goodbye to whoever was left inside of the dormitory (who was most likely only Junpei, being the lazy person he was).

He walked towards the train station, arriving a minute early right before the train came as usual. Entering the train, he quickly took a seat before anyone else could. The doors closed and the train began moving on the tracks – sounds of the train chugging its way through the city. He glanced at the scenery, which had been pointed out by his friend, Yukari, during his first day of school, and who had described the sights as 'beautiful'. The boy agreed, but he hadn't voiced out his opinions, and had only listened to his friend's cheery commentary.

Speak of the Devil. Said brunette girl was the first person he laid eyes on the moment he stepped out of the train. Right on time. Just like always, that Yukari.

"Hey!" she called out to the boy, grabbing his attention, "Minato-kun! You're here early today!"

The boy only gave a slight nod. He had always arrived at school at the same time every single day. But whatever, talking was not his thing.

"Come on, we should go, class is about to start!" the brown haired girl then looked to her left and right, before returning to the boy, "You haven't seen Junpei, have you?"

The boy shook his head.

Yukari sighed, and shook her head as well, "Stupei, always arriving late," she muttered, and then stomped into class as she uttered crueler words about the delinquent's behavior. The blue haired boy gave a shrug, and followed his friend into class.

The day went on just as normal, with the boy sleeping in class along with said delinquent (when he arrived to class, that is). Poor Yukari, covering for both of them during lessons, having needing to wake one of them up if a teacher would call them and then telling them the answer to the questions that the teacher fired at them. All she could do at the end of the day was sigh, while the blue haired gave a silent wave as thanks, and the cap wearing Junpei became as noisy as ever with his gratitude (which she resented at the end, and at which point the blue haired boy left for home to avoid the scene).

Quietly returning back to his dormitory, the blue haired boy secluded himself in his room, watching television, then going back to his studies, and then back to television, and alternated his schedule like so (it's a wonder how he doesn't get sick of such a routine) until half past eleven came. The boy checked his watch to confirm the time once more. Right, enough time to reach Gekkoukan before the Dark Hour, just as the group had promised the day before.

Donning his suit of armor below his uniform and then taking with him his choice of weapon: the sword, the boy left for the school and awaited the Dark Hour in front of the gates of the school, where the others had waited for the boy to arrive, albeit quite tiredly. But no, they had to take their job seriously to make sure that the people are safe, they wouldn't allow sleep to overtake them. Their resolve was their energy source, and they jolted upright when the bell struck twelve, as the school began to twist and turn right in front of them into the infamous tower: Tartarus.

As the teal haired Fuuka prepared her spot inside to do all of the analyzing work for the group, the other made last minute checks of their armors and weapons, making sure everything goes perfectly where they should and what not. When everyone has announced that they were all ready, the teal girl pulled out her SEES gun, made specifically for one purpose and one purpose only, and pulled the trigger as she aimed the gun at her head, "Lucia!"

The pieces of glass broke from the side of the girl's head, an illusion of glass, of course (or at least that's what the group thinks they are), and the gigantic Persona appeared, safekeeping the girl in her glass chamber, "Please be careful!" Fuuka called after the team as a group of four, which consisted of the blue haired boy, Yukari, Junpei, and Akihiko, went inside the labyrinth, starting off where they had left off the night before.

Once inside, the blue haired boy, who acted as the leader for the team, gave them the signal to separate so that they would be able to finish the Shadows much faster. Each member of the team replied with a nod and they went their separate directions, each hunting for their own prey. It wasn't long until the other members of the team lost track of the boy, with each of them focusing on their own battles and with Fuuka assisting the others, as the boy had assured her that he will be alright.

"Ow!" the brown-haired girl exclaimed as she fell, butt-first, on the floor after an attack from a Shadow. She immediately stood up, rubbed her back, and loaded her bow with an arrow, "What's wrong with the Shadows today? They're stronger than usual!"

"Something feels… Odd…" Fuuka answered in Yukari's mind, with her worry filling her voice with every passing second, "It might be better to regroup and fight together,"

"You're right!" Yukari replied as she let loose the arrow right at the Shadow's head, dissolving it into nothingness. Holding tight to her bow, she began to run through the corridors, in hopes of finding her team mates, "Where are the others?"

"Akihiko-senpai is heading your way, Junpei-kun is at the corner to your right," Fuuka said in a clear voice as she concentrated on pinpointing the locations of the others, "But…"

"Where's Minato-kun?" Yukari asked as she waved at Akihiko as he appeared from the corridor, indicating that there were no enemies near them, and led the way to where Junpei was, but with no answer from the teal haired girl, Yukari began to get restless, "Where's Minato-kun, Fuuka!"

"Minato-kun…" the teal haired girl began, but it could easily be heard from her voice that panic was beginning to take over her clear voice, "I can't find him! He's not here!"

"What? He's not here?" Akihiko asked in a surprised voice. He thought that the blue haired boy knew better than to go off alone to another floor, and he was quite sure that the boy wouldn't forsake his group.

"Give me a moment…" Fuuka said as her clear voice returned, indicating her focus, "I can't find him in any of the floors, but… I know he's here somewhere… I can see what he's seeing… I can try to communicate him…"

"Please!" Yukari pleaded with the same mounting worry in her voice.

It took a few moments of Fuuka's deep silence, and the group's restless waiting, for Fuuka to be able to connect with the blue haired male's mind. But with her strong concentration, the girl was finally able to delve within the male's mind, and she closed her eyes, in return opening her mind to what the boy was seeing.

The room that the boy was in was absolutely not like Tartarus. It did not have the fancy decorations or the gloomy atmosphere. It was only a simple room with every corner of it painted white. For what reason, the girl did not know. There was no door, no window, or any crack in the wall that would allow the boy to escape such a place. It would be hopeless to even attempt to flee.

Right in front of the boy was a Shadow, the girl noticed. But it was unlike any other Shadow that SEES has encountered before. The Shadow looked like a real shadow, but it was a human's shadow and it levitated above the ground. There were also really no features to differentiate it as a person from SEES, or anyone in the world, for that matter. The Shadow held no face, had no defined muscles or hair. It was just a simple shadow.

"Minato-kun!" she exclaimed, trying to gain the boy's attention, "Minato-kun!"

But the boy did not take notice of the girl's calls. Instead, he picked up his sword wearily, as if he had been fighting the Shadow to no end since the beginning of time. He charged at the Shadow, his sword held high, and attempted to strike the Shadow, before he was repelled back, as if a force field was covering the Shadow.

The boy stood up, shaking his head to let go of the pain, and took out his special gun from its holster, and pointed the gun at his head, "Orpheus!" he cried out as he pulled the trigger, with the shards of glass breaking, "Agi!"

The harp-wielder appeared above his master, and strummed his harp as he let out a devastating attack. Or at least, attempted to. The fire that had been summoned by the being had only dented the floor, but even the fire looked as if a mysterious force was repelling it, since the fire couldn't even lick the feet of the hovering Shadow. Noticing he had failed, the harp-wielder gave a small bow of apology to his master and disappeared just as fast as he had came.

"Tch," the boy said. There was nothing that he could do to even scratch the Shadow. Just what was it, the girl wondered, "What do you want from me?" he shouted to the Shadow, as he settled his weapons back down, holding the gun in one hand and the sword in the other.

The Shadow mysteriously didn't move, and it didn't move for a long time. Even when it was so obvious that the boy had practically surrendered already, the Shadow didn't even take a single action towards obliterating him. Instead, and after a few moments, the Shadow opened a hole on what is supposed to be his face. The hole, revealing itself as a makeshift mouth, began to close and open like a goldfish, but no words came out of the Shadow.

Then, all of the sudden, everything went black. Fuuka, in a panic for light, opened her eyes, and she realized what had happen. A third party had forcefully cut off her connection. By what or by whom, she didn't know. Maybe it was the Shadow, but maybe it was someone else. She just didn't know! But what she did know was that she couldn't feel the boy anywhere any more. Any presence of him was gone. Completely.

"No… No…" she muttered desperately as tried to back away from the truth. She swallowed and then she told the group the terrible news, "I can't sense him anymore…"

"What!" Mitsuru exclaimed, as she approached Lucia and Fuuka, "You mean… He's gone?"

"I can't…" the girl answered, with her words hanging in the air. Her voice was breaking, as if she was going to cry, "The Shadow…"

"Shadow? What Shadow?" Mitsuru confronted, before giving a sigh to calm herself down and resumed in a lower voice, "Yamagishi, it is imperative that you calm down and try to find Arisato once more, it's impossible for anyone to disappear so suddenly," she said in her calm and strict manner. Even though her voice did not betray her, the redhead bit her lip to try and keep her emotions in line, which she succeeded in doing after a bit of blood began to stream down from her lips.

Fuuka nodded and closed her eyes once more. She took a deep breath, and began to mutter as if she was reciting a spell, "Tell me what you see, Lucia…"

It took a few moments of tension and despair until Fuuka opened her eyes once more, and began to spill out the information that she had received from her Persona, "I can't find Minato-kun anywhere," she said with a surprisingly calm and collected voice, but adding to the surprise, she didn't stop there, and continued on, "But I sense someone else on your floor, Yukari-chan, and the person feels… Familiar,"

"There's someone on our floor?" Yukari asked with shock, but her face then quickly turned into that of anger, "Don't tell me there's another case of bullying in our school! Where is this person?"

"The person is just straight ahead of you!" Fuuka answered quickly, but then gave a gasp as she realized that this person wasn't alone, "Please hurry! I sense a Shadow nearing her location!"

Following the girl's orders, the group hurried to the person's location, running just straight ahead with their weapons at the ready. Once they arrived on the location, they found said person on the floor, lying there in an unconscious state, but breathing, fortunately. But that was still no reason to feel safe yet, for the Shadow (a completely different one from the one in the white room, this one looked more like one of those slimes with a mask) had managed to creep up to the unconscious girl, until, of course, one of Yukari's arrow lodged into the Shadow's hand.

The Shadow cried out in pain, and attempted to attack the archer instead. But before it was able to, the metallic edge of Junpei's sword met with the Shadow's body, and it fell back and attempted to run away, realizing that his opponents were not to be messed with. Unfortunately for the Shadow, Akihiko's glove was able to annihilate the Shadow before it got far, and the Shadow screamed out as it disappeared into thin air, "Weak," Akihiko commented.

Yukari was quick to action, letting her bow fall to the ground as she ran over to the unconscious person. Taking a closer look at said person, Yukari quickly glanced over the details. The person was wearing a Gekkoukan uniform, however, Yukari had never seen her before, and she was sure she had seen everyone there is to the school. Her auburn hair was tied in a fashion similar to a bun and a slight ponytail, nothing much odd about that. The girl wore red headphones around her neck and an MP3 to go along with it, similar to the trademark of the blue haired boy's. But along with the similarity of the headphones, there was something off about the girl that made her seem so alike with someone.

But that wasn't something that Yukari was supposed to think of now, so she went on with the more pressing matters, "Hey! Are you OK? Wake up!" she shouted, "Can you hear me? Wake up! Come on, wake up!" she commanded, shaking the shoulders of the unconscious girl.

The eyelids of the girl began to flutter, and her eyes began to blink after a while, accustoming to the dim light as if she had been living in darkness for all her life. Once she finally began to feel right with the light, the girl then stared at Yukari with her eyes, now revealed to be a red color, a rare thing to find in Gekkoukan, especially eyes that seemed to look so passionate that it was possible for them to burn like raging fire. Yes, Yukari had definitely never seen the girl before in school.

"Where am I?" the girl whispered, obviously drained of energy.

Yukari gave a deep sigh, relieved that the girl was awake, "Don't worry, you're safe now," she assured the girl as she gave a smile, strengthening her own point.

But the girl only looked even more confused, and then stared deeply into Yukari's eyes, as she asked the question: "Who am I?"

* * *

Author's Notes:

Disclaimer: I don't own Persona, the series, the characters, or anything of it.

My first time posting here, so give me cookies- I mean go easy on me. Reviews are always appreciated though, remember that.

And special thanks to my Beta reader~

Oh right, there was one more thing that I almost forgot to add. _The rating of this might change into Mature_, I'm still not too sure, but you have been warned. We'll see as this goes on.


	2. Chapter 1: Gender Swap

"Who… Are you?" Yukari asked, her mouth gaping wide open with shock, "You don't remember who you are? Can you remember anything?"

"I…" the amnesiac girl started, clutching her head with her hands, "I can't remember…"

"Can't you try to-"

"Yukari," the boxer's hand gripped the brunette's shoulder, cutting off her sentence as well as an attempt to bring her back to reality, "I understand that you're upset after his disappearance, we all are, but she needs rest," he said, nodding towards the new girl.

Yukari looked up to stare at the piercing eyes of her senior before giving a sigh, "You're right, we're not getting anywhere like this," she then turned to face the girl again, "Can you walk?"

In response, the girl stood up. Or at least, tried to, for her knees began to become shaky and she was just about to fall before Junpei caught her. From then onwards, Junpei helped her walk as Fuuka guided the team to the teleporter.

Once the team had arrived at the first floor of the tower, Mitsuru approached the group and Fuuka had already released Lucia back to her soul. However, Yukari was already turning around to head back into the tower before Mitsuru stopped her with her usual commanding voice, "Takeba, just where do you think you're going?"

"I'm going back to find him," she answered simply without even looking back to her senior, "He's in there somewhere, I know he's in there somewhere!"

"No, Takeba, we don't have a clue to where he is. Nothing to pinpoint his location," Mitsuru told her, "I demand you to stay!"

"No!" Yukari said, this time turning around to face the group with fierce emotions, "I don't care if you're not going to help me find him, but I will find him! I'm not going to leave him alone in there!" she shouted.

"Yukari-chan, I can't… I can't sense him in Tartarus," Fuuka began, her lips quivering and her eyes looked as if she was about to cry, "I want to find him too! But we need to go back home and rest before one of us gets seriously injured, or…" she bit her lip, unable to say the word.

"She's right, we need to regroup and think about a strategy, " Akihiko agreed, throwing away his usual need for fighting for reason.

Junpei was silent in the whole argument, but that didn't mean he was short on emotions. It was clearly shown on his face, the mixed emotions of anger, fear, and somewhere in between desperation and hopefulness. But it was obvious that he was holding back his feelings, for the sake of the tired girl he was helping.

Yukari stared hopelessly at the group, her resolve was wavering: what the group had said was true. It was much better to go back home and re-structure their strategy rather than running in recklessly and throwing away their lives for nothing. She hung her head silently as she headed out the tower alone and back to her room in the dormitory.

The group followed her, albeit slowly to make time for the red-eyed girl to catch up. An agreement was reached within the group that they would have a meeting about the events that had just happened, particularly about the new girl, the missing boy, and the mysterious Shadow, the next evening. Even though they were not in the red-eyed girl's state, they were still far too tired to be able to make out anything, and their feelings were still too mixed to be able to think straight.

After the red-eyed girl was taken to an uninhabited room to sleep in for the night, the others went back to their own rooms and rested.

* * *

The brunette gave a sigh, she had wanted to skip school for the day. Even in the next morning, her feelings of wanting to rush in Tartarus to find the boy in a one-woman group still had not faded away entirely. Not only that, but the sudden appearance and disappearance of the girl and the boy respectively struck her as weird. Was it the girl's fault that the boy had disappeared? If so, then how did she do it? Magic? It was just… She just wanted to have time to think it over.

But no, she never got what she wanted. Instead, Mitsuru had barged in her room and told her to bring the girl to school that day, of course, if the girl looked well enough. Apparently, Mitsuru had found no records whatsoever about a girl with auburn hair and red eyes, so she had to create the girl's files and place her in a class there and then. That's Mitsuru for you, able to enroll a complete stranger into school in less than a night.

However, she still couldn't shake off the feeling that something was amiss in all of this. Why would Mitsuru want the girl to go to school? Especially after seeing on how exhausted she was yesterday. What was Mitsuru keeping from the group? Still, Yukari had to follow orders and bring the girl to school. She made a mental note to confront Mitsuru later in the evening meeting.

She gave another sigh as she knocked on the door of the girl, "Hey, are you awake?"

No response.

"Well, I'm coming in then," Yukari said as turned the knob and entered the room. To her surprise, however, the girl wasn't there. A confused look on her face, Yukari left the room and went downstairs to report her findings, "Hey, I can't find the girl in her roo- Oh."

Stopping her sentence midway, the brunette saw the girl, wearing an apron, was fixing breakfast, serving some delicious-looking meals on the table.

Yukari gave a small smile as she gave a wave, "Good morning," she called out as she approached the dining table, "It looks like you're well enough to go to school today,"

The girl looked up from the plate she was holding and gave the brightest smile that Yukari had ever seen, "Good morning… Um…" she replied enthusiastically, although the 'um' had hung in the air longer than she had wanted to.

"I'm Take-"

"WOW! It smells like a five-star restaurant in here!"

The cap-wearing boy jumped down the stairs, only waking up because of the heavenly smell of food, which Yukari had to admit was true. Junpei then hopped around the dining table, taking in the sights of the amazing dishes that the girl had cooked up earlier, "These look delicious! Did you make all these yourself?"

The girl nodded more than she had to in reply, "Uh-huh! You have to wait for the others to come down first, though!" she said, wagging a finger at Junpei playfully. Her cheerful behavior certainly contrasted that of last night, she must really have been tired yesterday. But she then tapped her finger on her chin, as if trying to remember something, "Oh, speaking of coming down first, I almost forgot to ask. Where are we, exactly?"

"He he, yes ma'am!" he replied just as playfully, as he sat down and placed his hands on his lap, imitating an obedient little boy, "This is the Iwatodai Dorm, in Port Island. This is all MY place!"

Yukari gave a sigh once more, "Well, as I was saying, I'm Yukari Takeba," she said, holding out a hand to the girl, "Call me Yukari! … And ignore Junpei,"

"Hey! And I'm Junpei Iori!" Junpei shouted as he pointed a thumb to himself, "Call me Junpei! " he said, imitating Yukari, and the auburn haired girl giggled.

"So have you remembered anything?" Yukari asked worriedly as the girl grasped her hand in a handshake.

The girl nodded vigorously once more, "Yep! I remembered my name!" she said quite excitedly, "I'm Minako Arisato! Call me Minako!"

The brunette stopped, taking back her hand from the girl, "W… What…?"

"Minako Arisato!" the girl repeated once more, and then she gave a giggle, "I like how my name-"

"Did you just say… Arisato?" Junpei cut in, his face turning dark, and he stood up to approach the girl and Yukari.

"Hm? Yeah, Minako Arisato! Geez, you people forget easily!" she said with a smile on her face, but quickly noticed the heavy atmosphere in the room, and the smile vanished instantly, "What's wrong?"

"Are you trying to mock us?" Yukari shouted at the girl, "Do you think it's funny to play a joke like that on us?"

"W-What?" Minako was surprised at the sudden change in Yukari's voice, and jumped. She took a few steps back in fear, "W-What are you-"

"It's not funny! It's not funny!" Yukari screamed at her, her voice trembling, "Give us back Minato! You can go to Hell, I don't care, but give back Mina-"

"What is going on in here?"

Yukari stopped short as she was interrupted by Mitsuru's commanding voice. The group turned around to face the redhead, who had her hands crossed, with both the silver haired boy and the teal haired girl behind her, "Let me ask again, what is going on in here?"

Yukari immediately pointed at Minako, "Her! She calls herself Minako Arisato!" she said accusingly, "She's mocking us and Minato!"

"T-That's not true!" Minako said defensively, "I don't know what you're talking about-"

"You lie!" Yukari hissed at her.

"I'm not!" she insisted, "I don't understand what you're talking about and I don't know who Minato is! And… And…" she stumbled on her words, not knowing what else to say in front of the angry Yukari, who really was quite scary.

"Arisato!" Mitsuru said in a strict tone, immediately putting Minako back in line (and making her squeak as well). The Student Council leader then glared at Minako with her piercing eyes in search of the truth, "Is that really your name?"

The girl nodded her head rapidly, as if her life depended on it, and she nodded too much until she became dizzy herself, at which point she stopped, "Yes! Yes, my name is Minako Arisato! That's the only thing that I remember!" she answered, "Please believe me!" she pleaded.

Mitsuru was silent at first, contemplating, before she spoke up again, but this time, towards SEES in general, "Did any of you mention Minato's name in front of her before now?" to which everyone shook her head, "Then she is telling the truth,"

"But-"

"Takeba," Mitsuru interrupted, "We will discuss this further this evening. Breakfast is waiting, we shouldn't let our food get cold,"

Speaking of food, the girl was immediately reminded of the dish that she was holding, "Ah!" she exclaimed, and hurriedly placed it on the table, taking off her apron before she took a seat, with everybody else following her example. The girl scanned the dinner table and bit her lip, "I wasn't sure how many people there were going to be, so I think I cooked a little bit too much…"

But it was quickly evident that it didn't matter, since the boys ate the leftovers. Akihiko reasoned that the extra fuel in the morning would be beneficial for him; it was training day for him today (or at least everyday is training day for him), and he said that he needed the energy. Junpei… Well, he was Junpei, nothing more to that.

Once they were finished, Minako rose to clean the dirty plates, but before she was able to, Mitsuru stopped her, "Don't worry, you have done enough for today's breakfast, it is only fair for the boys to clean up. I need to go to school earlier to finish some work," she said, ignoring the groans from the boys, but turned towards Yukari, "Takeba, my orders have not changed, please escort Arisato to school," Mitsuru then strutted out of the dormitory, and hurriedly headed off for school.

The brunette was silent for a moment, did her senior not see her erupt in anger just earlier? Or did her senior think that pushing the both of them together would help them make up? Either way, the girl had her orders, so she shoved away her plate and glared coldly at Minako, with an equally as cold voice, "Let's go,"

Minako had stayed silent, clearly under the effect of Yukari's glare, gave a reluctant nod as she stood up and followed Yukari out of the dorm.

The whole way from the dormitory to the train station was tense and awkward. Yukari walked in front of Minako, not even acknowledging her as she walked. The red-eyed girl had only stared at her now very interesting shoes, frequently looking up to make sure that she was following Yukari and that her new dorm mate hadn't forsaken her in the middle of nowhere.

The situation inside of the train wasn't much better either. The moment that they stepped on the train made the entire atmosphere icy cold, making the train suffocating. While Yukari stared out of the window to her right, still ignoring the girl, Minako stared down, glancing now and then at Yukari to observe her.

"I'm sorry!"

Yukari jumped with shock, as she stared at the apologetic girl in front of her, who had now stood up and bowed. What was she doing?

"I'm sorry about earlier! I didn't mean to hurt your feelings!" Minako said as she kept eye contact away from Yukari, "Minako Arisato was just the name that I remember! Maybe… If you don't like it, I can change my name! Yeah, maybe I can change it Hamuko! Maybe I can-"

"W-Wait," Yukari interrupted, stopping Minako from growing too passionate about her name-changing, which was an interesting change from being apologetic, so Yukari just couldn't help but slip out a giggle, but nevertheless, "You don't have to change your name, I have to apologize too for saying what I said earlier. I… I was too shaken over my friend's disappearance the other day, and your name was just so similar that I wasn't thinking straight and got angry too easily…"

Minako tapped her finger on her chin, as if she was pondering over a huge issue. After a few seconds, she gave a bright smile to her dorm mate and said as cheerfully possible, "If we're apologizing to each other, then that means we've forgiven each other, right?" she asked, and then held out her hand to the girl in front of her, "Can we just start over then? Hi, I'm Minako Arisato, call me Minako!"

Yukari gave a small smile back as she shook her hand, "I'm Yukari Takeba, call me Yukari,"

"Hey, you said that your friend disappeared, right?" Minako asked curiously, and then placed her hands on her hips with resolve and passion, "Well, I can help search for him too!"

The brunette gave a weak smile and a half-hearted laugh, "I don't think you can help out much," she said, "Even we don't know where he might possibly be, and it will be dangerous-"

"Don't worry! I'm prepared for every danger!" Minako shouted, punching the air to emphasize her point, even though the air didn't really pose much danger, "You just leave it to me!"

Yukari blinked at Minako's enthusiasm. Yes, a huge contrast from the weak and tired girl from Tartarus yesterday, "Sorry, but… It's personal," she said, picking out her words.

The girl gave a pout, but she nodded, "I understand," she then quickly changed her demeanor into one of her usual cheeriness, "But if you need anything, then you can ask me anytime!"

She smiled, "Thank you, I will," she then looked out the window, "Look, Minako-chan, you can see the school from here!"

Obeying her friend's orders, Minako looked out of the window, staring at the beautiful sight of a school, "Wow, it looks beautiful!" she exclaimed.

"Yup, it is, isn't it?" Yukari agreed, nodding her head, "Come on, get your bag, we're almost there!"

As the train slowed to a stop and opened its doors for its many passengers, the two of them stood up and walked through its doors and towards Gekkoukan school. Minako noted many things during her journey to the school, most notably the unique signs that led to her school, such as the trees and pathways and, well, mainly trees.

Once the two have arrived, Yukari pointed at a corridor of the school's, and started her 'tour', "Welcome to Gekkoukan!" she announced to her dorm mate, "The Faculty Office is right there to the left, you should go there first to see where you are in your class,"

She looked warily to her right and left, before continuing in a hushed tone, "Hey, do you remember anything about… Last night?"

"Huh? Last night?" Minako pondered, "Um… I think I was too tired to remember anything last night…"

"… I see," Yukari said, then waved her hand, "I need to go now, sorry, maybe we'll see each other later on in the afternoon. Seeya!" and she ran off to do some (questionable) work.

Minako gave a wave of goodbye at her friend and she started down on the corridor and followed her friend's instructions. Once she has reached the office, she slid open the door to see the redhead Mitsuru talking with who looked like a teacher, "Excuse me, I'm-"

"Ah, this is who I was talking about, Ms. Toriumi," Mitsuru introduced, glancing at the girl as a signal for her to approach the two, which Minako obediently obeyed, "This is Minako Arisato, and I apologize once more for the lack of her files. In a misunderstanding, we were unable to obtain them and they were lost. I promise on my name Kirijo that I will bring in the files by the end of this week,"

"Oh no, there's no rush, Mitsuru. Those files are not very important anyways, they were only things about her background," the woman, who Minako assumed to be Ms. Toriumi, assured, "And I assume that Arisato here is a relative to Minato Arisato?"

Before Minako even had the chance to speak, Mitsuru swiftly replied, "Yes, she is the distant cousin of Minato Arisato," Mitsuru answered, "She had only came from New York yesterday, so please be gentle with her if she appears to be tired. Thank you for your understanding, I will take my leave now," she then stood up and walked out, her heels clacking behind her.

Ah, so Minako was supposed to play the role of 'cousin'. Well, to be honest, she didn't even know said 'cousin', but she guessed that she had to play the role for the safety of her position in the school anyways.

"So, Arisato,"

Minako, taken out from her thoughts, faced the teacher as she continued with what she had to say, "I believe I haven't introduced myself yet. I am Ms. Toriumi and I will be both your homeroom teacher and Composition teacher. Arisato, you will be in my class, 2-F," she nodded, "Hm, that's a coincidence, that's also where your cousin is in right now," she had no choice but to nod again with a smile plastered on her face.

"By the way, Arisato, since I don't have your file now, how long have you been living in New York?" make up a time, make up a time…

"A year,"

"Ah, and how was it, Arisato?"

…How was it? She had never visited New York before, especially because her memory was wiped out! Get a response, get a response… "It was amazing!" she replied enthusiastically.

"That sounds great," the teacher replied, and she checked her watch, "We should go, class is about to start,"

And so the teacher led her student up the stairs and through the winding corridors to reach the classroom: 2-F. Minako stared at the class sign as the teacher went inside to welcome the class into another day of school. The girl had almost missed her teacher's call, she was just so entranced in the thought of going to school. But she skipped inside cheerfully and introduced herself, "Hi! I'm Minako Arisato! Please take care of me!" she then gave a short bow to the class. Ms. Toriumi then assigned her a seat and picked up the class register, while Minako walked over to her assigned seat.

"… Minato," Toriumi looked around, searching for her student when she heard no response, "Is Minato here?"

Yukari gulped while Junpei looked down, unable to make eye contact with his teacher, "Um, he's sick," Yukari piped up, careful to control her wavering voice.

"That's a shame," she said as she noted it down and continued with the registry.

* * *

School was normal as per usual. Except for the fact that Minako was the complete opposite of the blue haired/missing boy. Attentive in class, answering questions perfectly right, even going so far as to rouse Junpei from sleep and then telling him to pay attention to class. She was the perfect student model, and the teachers love her for being one.

Though, Yukari had speculated that Minako was a bit tired, especially after the events of last night. It clearly showed, though, when Minako had hung her head for a few seconds, no more, and then snapped back to attention. Maybe she was overdoing it, that was probably the problem.

She felt a slight pity when she saw Minako stumble out of the classroom when the school bell had announced that classes were officially over. Yukari couldn't escort Minako back to the dormitory; she had archery. But her worries were instantly eased when she saw Junpei approach Minako. Well, some of it, though some new worries did rise up.

But after giving a cold glare at Junpei, mentally telling him not to even try anything funny with Minako, she left for her club.

"Brr! Cold, Yuka-tan!" Junpei commented as he shivered from the icy glare that his friend has given him, "Though, it looks like you two have made up, huh?"

Minako gave a nod and beamed at the boy, "Yep! It's a good thing that I didn't have to change my name, though!" she joked.

Junpei laughed, "Well, I was going to get some ramen, but since you're so tired, I'll be taking you back home!" he said, "Leave it to ol' Junpei to be your company!"

"Ah, no!" Minako exclaimed as she waved her hands in the air, "If you want to get ramen, then I don't want to hold you back-"

"Nah, it's fine," Junpei shrugged, "Besides, I think I need to catch up on my schoolwork,"

Minako then stared at Junpei with the widest eyes that she could even do, her mouth gaping open with shock, "You? Do schoolwork?" she recovered from her shock and giggled, "Sleeping in class isn't a good step towards that,"

"H-Hey!" Junpei sighed dejectedly, "By the way, why did you wake me up when I was dreaming? She was such a hot girl… Now I can't dream of her again," and he sighed once more.

Needless to say, that earned him a stomp on his foot.

"Ow! Hey, hey! I was just kidding! You didn't have to take it like how Yuka-tan does!" and Minako laughed at Junpei's statement. The cap-wearer gave another sigh before he smiled and laughed along, "Come on, let's go,"

The girl gave another giggle before she followed Junpei out of the school and towards the dormitory, where they made small talk along the way. Until Minako quietened all of the sudden, and began to look at her shoes for a moment before she looked up at Junpei again, "Hey, um, why are you acting so nice to me even if your friend is gone?" she asked blatantly.

Junpei stopped and looked up towards the sky, sorting out his feelings as a serious look began to attach itself on his face, "Well, to be honest, I feel relieved," he said with utmost sincerity, "It's true that I am sad and angry that Minato's gone, but I feel relieved because I won't be living in his shadow anymore, because he always seemed to be better at me no matter what I do,"

He then gave a dark laugh, "It's true, but I guess I'm a bad person to think that way," he said, "I don't think you're the cause of Minato disappearing, though,"

"Thank you," Minako replied, "But you're better than that, I believe in you!" she exclaimed with a rising passion in her voice.

"Heh, you're the first one to say that," he said, looking away from the girl, "… Thanks,"

She nodded, and they began small talk once again until they reached the dormitory.

* * *

"I know that yesterday's event was shocking for all of us, and it is unfortunate that Ikutsuki-san is unable to come today because of his workload," Mitsuru said as she started the meeting, "But first and foremost, I would like to focus on sorting the facts of the events yesterday. Yamagishi, please tell us what you have witnessed yesterday through the eyes of him,"

Fuuka sat restlessly on her chair, her inability to even contact the blue haired boy made her feel useless, and the fact that she couldn't even find where the boy is made her feel even worse. But nonetheless, she said, "I saw Minato-kun fight a Shadow. It was unlike any Shadow that I have ever seen, and the Shadow resembled a… Human," she gulped down her tears, "Minato-kun was unable to damage it, and when he surrendered, the Shadow didn't attack him, but instead looked like it was trying to communicate with him. And… That was when I was…"

"… Thank you, Yamagishi," Mitsuru said in a soft voice, and then looked around the room, "And all the rest, you should already know. Do any of you have a possible theory of what might be happening?"

The room was silent for a moment, as the members of SEES, excluding Minako as she was back in her room, shifted uneasily. They were stumped, nothing like this has ever happened before, some, if not most, had never imagined something like this would happen.

"Maybe… Minato was changed into a girl?" SEES turned to stare at Yukari with shocked faces at even the mere thought of that possibility.

"Wow, Yuka-tan," Junpei muttered, "Even that sounds bizarre to me,"

"Can't you see it?" Yukari insisted, not giving up, "Aside from her personality and her looks, you have to admit that her headphones have this odd similarity with Minato's. And her name! She claims her name to be Minako Arisato, don't you think it's weird?" her points were quite interesting, though her name was a fact that was hard to shake.

"Plus… Can't you guys feel it? Doesn't she remind you of… Someone?" she added, which the team had to admit, there was a special feel about the girl that was only evident in someone else. They raked deep into their brains and memories.

Was it Kenji? Of course not. Rio? Definitely not. Toriumi? Why was she even on the list?

Then, in a second, the entire team got the answer simultaneously, _'Minato'_. The girl gave a feeling of _Minato_. How was that even possible? … Unless, of course, Yukari's theory was correct.

"Even so, Takeba, there are still some other questions to raise if your theory proved to be true," Mitsuru argued, "Why are her personality and appearances contrasting that of Minato's? Why are they not similar? How did her turn into a girl? If it were only a simple gender swap, then why did Minato lose his, or her, memories?"

Yukari was baffled. Mitsuru was right, there were just too many loopholes for that theory to be considered, but it was definitely better than nothing, "T-Then we should investigate this matter further!" she stuttered, "It's the only way to find out the truth!"

"And how do you propose to do that, Takeba?"

Well, Mitsuru is pretty good in this game, but she wouldn't lose! "Maybe Tartarus has the answer. We should go back there and search for him!"

"Takeba, as we have said before, there was no sign of him in Tartarus," Mitsuru countered, "It would be needless to waste both time and energy there,"

"But…"

"Before I forget," Mitsuru interjected, "Takeba, did Arisato remember anything when she was at school?"

Yukari shook her head in response, to which Mitsuru gave a sigh to, "I had hoped that she would regain some of her memories if she were to visit and live like a student in Gekkoukan, but that proved to have failed as well,"

Ah, so that was why Mitsuru had wanted Minako to go to school. It was a smart idea, Yukari had to admit, if only Mitsuru had told Yukari what her intentions were…

_23:59:57_

_23:59:58_

_23:59:59_

_Dark Hour_

Time had moved fast, the group hadn't even realized what time it was until the greenish light shone into the meeting room, and the room became devoid of the usual hum of air conditioning.

"It seems we have lost track of time…" Mitsuru muttered, as she walked over to the screens that monitored movements in the rooms, and began to type commands into the huge screens, "I had a feeling that Minako had the 'potential', and it would do well to remind everyone that being able to enter Tartarus does not mean that a person necessarily has the 'potential', as Moriyama has proven for us a while ago. Watching her actions tonight would definitely shed light to the truth,"

Mitsuru then pulled up the window which held the recordings of Minako's room only to be greeted by an empty bedroom. Minako was gone, nowhere to be found. Which placed Mitsuru right into action, as she instantly commanded, "Yamagishi, find Arisato immediately!"

Fuuka nodded as she placed the gun-shaped Evoker on her head and pulled the trigger, "Persona!" she cried out as Lucia appeared once again to protect her master in her glass dome. Fuuka closed her eyes to concentrate, and exclaimed once she had found Minako's location, "I found her! She's in Paulownia Mall! But… There's something else… Wait… I sense… I sense a Shadow heading her way! It's not a full moon Shadow, but it's still huge!"

"Akihiko, Takeba, Iori, we need to head for the site immediately," Mitsuru instructed, and the group nodded as they quickly grabbed their weapons and headed out for the Mall.

* * *

Meanwhile, Minako had stumbled upon the alleyway of the Paulownia Mall. There was something that had beckoned her to come that evening, and she knew that she had been there before. And there it was, at the end of the alleyway was a mysterious blue door, just begging her to be opened. Minako approached the blue door, and tried the handle.

It was locked.

She did not have the key.

But there was something… Something was calling her, something wanted her from the other side of the door. In an act of desperation, she tried the knob multiple times, in hopes of it being magically opened, and when that didn't work, she knocked on the door, each knock growing in volume, hoping someone would hear.

It was then that time had stopped, and the night had turned green. Minako was confused at what was happening, and she knew that this should not be taken lightly. What she did not know, however, was the fact that a monster, a Shadow, was heading right for her.

But it was too late to even try to flee, said Shadow was fast. Within a few minutes, the Shadow had arrived in front of Paulownia Mall, while the girl was still inside the Mall itself. The huge Shadow then rammed against the doors of the Mall and broke in, and Minako couldn't do anything except being frozen to her spot, staring at the Shadow.

It was truly a monster, the Shadow had a humanoid shape, just like the Shadow that the blue haired boy had previously encountered. But what was different from this Shadow and the last was the fact that the Shadow was five times bigger, as the Shadow ripped apart the building and the structure of the Mall, definitely not built to house said Shadow. The hole on the Shadow's face appeared, like how it had appeared last night, and it began to open and close once more.

"You…"

Minako was surprised as she heard the word slipped out of the Shadow's make-shift mouth, "M-Me?"

"You… Minako… Arisato…" the Shadow uttered with great difficulty, "Why… You…"

"How… How did you know who I am?" she asked, taking a few slow steps back from the monster.

"Minako… Arisato…"

"W-What… What do you want-"

"Die."

Her eyes grew wide as she watched the being roared and raise his hand. In an attempt to avoid being squashed by said hand, Minako ran out of the way as the hand struck the floor with great force, creating a hand print on the Mall.

The Shadow turned to face Minako, from his make-shift mouth was what looked like raging fire, and with every second, it began to intensify and the air in the atmosphere began to turn burning hot. This attack, this one attack, Minako had the feeling that she wouldn't be able to escape from it, no matter what she tried. So she stood, paralyzed in fear, as the word began to strain out from the Shadow's mouth.

"Agidy-"

"Bufu!"

Penthesilea appeared in a split-second to throw off an icicle at the Shadow, disrupting it from its concentration. The atmosphere returned back to normal and the fire in the Shadow's mouth disappeared, and he roared at the distraction that had been caused and turned around to face these disruptors.

The group of four had entered the Mall, panting as they did so, after a run as quickly as they could. Mitsuru had her in Evoker in hand, as well as her rapier, "Arisato-" she was able to say before the Shadow flicked her to the far side of the Mall with a slap of his hand, and she was immediately out of commission on impact.

"Mitsuru!" Akihiko shouted, and pulled the trigger as he aimed the Evoker to his head, "Polydeuces!" his Persona appeared above him as he summoned electricity to attack the Shadow. But not only was the Shadow unaffected (or far worse, absorbed) by Akihiko's attack, it had only enraged him further, and Akihiko followed Mitsuru by flying away as well, still conscious but unable to stand up after impact.

Yukari, having the job to look after Minako no matter what had happened, as she was instructed to do so by Mitsuru earlier on (with Junpei instructed to help Akihiko and Mitsuru if anything happened), sprinted towards where Minako stood, "Minako-chan, Minako-chan!" she called, unfreezing Minako from her trance, "Minako-chan, run! We'll take care of this!"

"B-But…"

"Now!" Yukari shouted when she heard the Shadow roar once more and turned its attention to the two, or more specifically, Minako.

Just as Yukari was about to summon Io, the Shadow had beaten her by summoning the electricity that he had absorbed from Akihiko's attack, "Zio!" it said, the electricity flying at Yukari.

Fortunately, Yukari was able to dodge most of it, but she was still hurt from the attack. And just her luck, the part where she was zapped was her hand which had previously held her Evoker, where the Evoker had now been flung towards Minako. Just like how it happened before with Minato.

Minako picked up the Evoker and stared at it as she began to remember, "… Evoker," she muttered, and placed the Evoker on her head, resting her finger on the trigger, "Orpheus…"

Yukari snapped her head to Minako as she heard what her friend had just said. Orpheus! Minato's first Person! This clearly strengthened her theory of Minato turning into a girl, she was right after all-

"… Telos,"

… Wait, what?

The girl pulled the trigger, as the glass shard vanished as quickly as it had came from the side of her head. The gold and red variant of Orpheus appeared above Minako, emitting a much higher power than the original Orpheus, "Megidolaon!" Minako shouted as the Persona calmly strummed on his harp, creating heavy damage which was inflicted towards the Shadow (and the area surrounding it).

The Shadow screamed in pain, as it began to stumble back and fall. Screeching, the Shadow held out his hand in an attempt to take down the girl with him, but the Shadow was interrupted by its untimely death, as it began to dissipate into oblivion.

The Orpheus faded as swiftly as it had came, and his master fell to the ground from exhaustion, still clutching the Evoker in hand. The words of worry from her brunette friend were indistinct, and before long, she had fallen unconscious.

* * *

Author's Note: As always, disclaimer that I don't own Persona or anything of it.

Well, this came out longer than I expected. Reviews are appreciated!

Thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter 2: Rejection

The girl blinked her eyes open, waking up from what seemed like a deep slumber. She looked to her left and right, absorbing the bizarre sights of the room that she was currently in. She was in a… Elevator? Or, a gigantic elevator at that, being able to house a table, not to mention the empty expanse of space surrounding said table. Off to a lonely corner, a clock sat, where it ticked forward uncontrollably, and with seconds too fast than normal. The purple interior was calming, relaxing, not to mention the soft carpet below her feet. The name of the fabric eluded her mind, however, and she was confused, but decided that it was not important.

She then noticed that said elevator was moving, and it was moving upwards. But it didn't stop, and the girl was sure that she had skipped the floor that was intended for her. …But then, what was her destined floor? Maybe she didn't have one. Maybe she was destined just to keep moving upwards endlessly, not knowing what her destination is.

But not only that, there was a special feeling that seemed to inhabit the elevator. The feeling… She thought of the word. Sadness? Happiness? No, said feeling was not emotions. Hostility? Friendliness? Not really. But there was this feeling... This...

Ah, familiarity! That was it! That was the word!

But had the girl really visited such a peculiar place before? Even when she had forgotten all of her memories, it seemed so unlikely to have visited such a place.

"Welcome back, dear Minako,"

She nearly jumped in her seat. In front of her was a long-nosed man who seemed to be sitting in a velvet sofa, with his chin resting on the back of his hand. How she was even able not to notice the man was a wonder for her.

"I am shocked," though his face depicted the contrary, with his smiling expression staring right into her soul, "To see you back here, Minako,"

The man seemed to know about her as if he had known her since she was a baby, greeting her so casually even though she didn't know him, but if so, then the man would hopefully be able to tell her a few things, "W-Where am I?" she asked, "How do you know who I am?"

The man gave a sigh, "So it seems that your memories have truly vanished, such a misfortune," he then gave a shake of his head, "You were a dear guest of mine, Minako, and of the Velvet Room. My name is Igor, and I have provided you many services in the past days," he explained to the clueless girl.

Ah! That was it! The material was called velvet! Now she remembered.

"What kind of... Services?" she asked warily. Just what could a man like him give her in a place like this?

"You will see, dear Minako," Igor answered, giving a chuckle, but then turned into a soft, dark mutter, "So he's not with you…"

"Who?" Minako asked, but he ignored her.

He then reached out with both hands and a tarot deck magically appeared in front of him, slowly hovering in mid-air before it laid to a rest on the man's hand, "Perhaps we can have a quick session of fortune-telli-"

However, Igor's words were cut off by a bang on the door behind Minako's chair. She gave a quick glance behind her to see a powerful force repeatedly smashing itself into the door.

"Master Igor, they're in there, aren't they?" a shout came from the being (which was clearly heard as a girl's voice) who was smashing on the door, "They're in there, aren't they? ANSWER ME!" she screamed, with a tone of desperation from her voice.

"Ah, I'm afraid that our time is up," Igor announced with a surprisingly calm tone, "Hold on to this, if you would want to come back,"

The man then threw her a glowing, blue key, which Minako caught, although she had almost missed it, "However, be warned that not all times may be safe for you to enter," he advised her.

The person behind the door had succeeded with one last (and the most powerful from them all) smash, "Master Igor!" she shouted, and Minako looked behind her to take a peek at who the intruder was.

Said intruder didn't actually look like the type to be breaking and entering. The intruder was a silver colored hair cut short, as well as a petite body. She wore dark blue clothes, gloves, and shoes that complimented the velvet room. Her hat as well made her seem like an attendant, which she probably wasn't, considering the book that she held with her.

But there was also something about this person that was familiar, but no matter how hard she tried, Minako just couldn't remember her.

Of course, looking at the attendant girl was a bad choice. In an instant, the attendant noticed the girl look her way and she glared at Minako, "You!" she shouted at Minako, and lunged at her.

But Igor did not even attempt to subdue the attendant, and still he had his smile plastered on his face, even when Minako looked desperately at the man and pleaded for help. Instead, the calm words slipped out of Igor's lips, and time seem to have slowed only to allow the man to speak, "Until we meet again,"

Immediately after the words had been spoken, Minako felt a heavy weight on her shoulders and eyelids, as if she was extremely tired all of the sudden for no reason. She couldn't fight back the feelings of drowsiness and surrendered, letting her eyes close.

And just before sleep had completely overtaken her, the last thing that Minako saw was the silver haired girl's face filled with murderous intent.

* * *

The girl woke up with a start, sitting straight up and drenched with cold sweat, startling the nearby brunette by the sudden act.

"Minako-chan!" Yukari exclaimed as she re-adjusted herself in her seat near the bed, "You gave me a fright there!"

"Sorry, Yukari-chan, I had a nightmare," Minako replied, and gave a shudder, it was as if she had just seen her last moments of life earlier. It was then that she noticed that she wasn't in her room, but a completely different (and completely white) room, "Where are we?"

"We're in the Tatsumi Memorial Hospital, you were asleep for seven days, even though the doctors couldn't find anything wrong with you," Yukari informed, and gave a sigh, "This is just like Minato back then..." she muttered.

"How are the others?" Minako asked, "Mitsuru-senpai and... Um…" she stopped, realizing that she didn't know her senior's name.

"Akihiko-senpai," Yukari finished for her, "And they were released two days ago, fortunately with no broken bones or any major damage. Our upperclassmen are very strong," she said, complimenting them.

"Yeah..." Minako nodded, absorbed in her own thoughts, now thinking about the incident a few days ago.

"Um..." Yukari started as she tried to find the right words, "About a few nights ago… I know you have a lot of questions, but we're going to have a meeting tomorrow night about it, so you can ask them later. Mitsuru-senpai asked me to tell you that," she informed her, as if she was able to read Minako's thoughts, though it might have been obvious because of the emotions on her face.

Minako gave an understanding nod about the situation and Yukari gave a sigh of relief. But it wasn't over yet, because Minako then asked a question which she felt she might regret in a while, "Yukari, if it's okay with you, can I ask you who this Minato person is?" which she quickly added, "I know it's personal, and if you don't want to talk about it, then I understand,"

Yukari was silent for a while, and she looked down at the floor as she pondered whether or not to tell her new friend. She adjusted in her seat once more and took a deep breath as she started, "Um…" she started, "Minato… Minato is the only friend that I confide in, because… I am… sorta like him. S-So I was a bit shaken when he…"

Minako blinked, and Yukari looked away. This was something that she had told to one person and one person only, but with the possibility of Minako being Minato… It repeated in her head over and over. And there was this something that made her want to trust Minako, just like how she had trusted Minato. So she continued, "My dad… He died ten years ago in a big explosion nearby, but no one really knows what happened. And Minato's parents… He… They died ten years ago too. So I thought… I thought I finally found someone who is like me, and I thought I could confide in him…"

The red-eyed girl was quickly wrapped up in her thoughts once more, "Parents…" she muttered, and wondered. Who were her parents? Where are they now? Are they worried about her?

But somehow, there was a click in her thoughts, as she began to remember what had happened to her parents, "Ten years ago… My parents…" she whispered to herself as the words came rushing into her thoughts.

"Minako?" Yukari asked, with growing worry in her voice, which she made no attempt to hide, "Minako? What's wrong?"

The girl was confused with what Yukari was worried about until she felt the splatter of a drop of water on her hand. She realized why Yukari was worried then.

Minako was crying, and uncontrollably.

Her tears kept falling even though she had no reason to cry. She felt no sort of emotions well up inside of her because she barely knew her parents, and she only knew about the accident that took away their lives. But her tears… There was no stopping them, and she didn't know why. Is the bond of a child and a parent, even if they are strangers to each other, this strong? Yukari, in pity and pure confusion, hugged the crying girl until her eyes dried out.

Yukari gave a solemn goodbye and left when her friend had finished crying, she had school and club matters to attend to, and she unfortunately couldn't skip school that day. Minako waved goodbye to her as she laid back in her bed, since it appears that she had received a sudden headache for some reason. That was when she noticed that there was a glowing item beneath the covers of her bed.

Minako fished it out, to see that it was the key that Igor had thrown at her in her dream. So it really did happen? But she had been asleep for seven days in the hospital. Then… Wait a minute; she visited that place in a dream? Was that even possible? How did the key even materialized from a dream? So many questions, yet so little answers. She wouldn't even dare to go back there, that silver haired girl would definitely kill her if she were to return. But nonetheless, she kept it with her. Just in case.

Either way, she slept in the hospital for another day, and was shooed out the next day since the doctors found nothing wrong with her. Really, they didn't treat patients very well.

But even so, once she reached the dormitory, she huddled in her room and watched television the whole day, assuming that she had been given time off by Mitsuru because she had just woken up just yesterday. Surely, her senior wouldn't be so strict on her, right?

* * *

She was sadly mistaken.

"Where were you today, Arisato?"

An icy glare was shot at the girl, piercing into her very soul, so much that Minako couldn't even dare to make eye contact with the strict redhead, "Um…" she started reluctantly, fidgeting with her shoes that she stared at, "I was… Here,"

"Why were you not at school?" Mitsuru further interrogated. At one point, Minako swore that the air around her just became… Colder.

"Because…" Minako allowed the word to hang in the air, stalling for a reason. She knew outright that she couldn't just say that she just wanted to relax around in her room, she would be killed for sure! "Um… I… I'm sorry, please forgive me! It won't happen again!" she bowed, unable to look at her senior.

Mitsuru crossed her arms and tapped her finger, as if pondering on what action she would take, "You're forgiven, Arisato. Just this once," she said, "Only because you have waken up yesterday, if I see this behavior once more, Arisato, I will take action,"

"Y-Yes!" Minako said, "Thank you!"

Although the cold atmosphere did not fade… So much, Mitsuru immediately dropped the subject, "I do not think we have properly introduced myself, Arisato, I am Mitsuru Kirijo," she then glanced at both the boxer and the (failed) cook, "This is Akihiko Sanada and Fuuka Yamagishi. I presume you are acquainted already with Iori and Takeba, correct?"

"Yes," Minako nodded, and she gave both a smile and a wave to those who she didn't know, "Nice to meet you! I'm Minako Arisato!" to which Akihiko and Fuuka replied back with the same gestures.

"Now, if only Ikutsuki-san would arrive, we would be able to start this meeting…" Mitsuru muttered as she tapped her finger impatiently.

Right on timing, the front door of the dormitory creaked open, and a man approached the group in a friendly manner, "I'm sorry for being late, I was caught up in traffic," he apologized, and sat in one of the unoccupied sofas in the lounge, giving a nod to the briefcase sitting on the table, where everybody else was sitting for the meeting.

"… I understand, Ikutsuki-san," Mitsuru said, and then glanced to Minako, "This is Shuji Ikutsuki, he is the Chairman of the Board of Gekkoukan School,"

Minako nodded once again, "Nice to meet you, Ikutsuki-san!" she said just as enthusiastically as ever, "I'm Minako Arisato!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you too," Ikutsuki replied, giving a smile to Minako, "I've heard many things about you," he said and laughed.

Mitsuru then cleared her throat as a signal to immediately start the meeting, as she did not want to waste any more valuable time, "Would you believe us if we were to tell you that there are more than twenty four hours in a day?"

Well, Minako did have amnesia, but she didn't have it bad enough to be able to forget the fact that there are only twenty four hours per day, so she shook her head.

"I'm not surprised, but the truth stands. There is a time period hidden in between one day and the next, and it occurs every time the clock strikes twelve," Mitsuru informed the girl, "You have experienced this first-hand, in fact, do you remember the incident with Paulownia Mall eight nights ago? Where everything became green and there was no electricity around?"

Minako gave a slow nod as began to remember the scenes of the Mall once more, and then exclaimed once she realized, "What happened to Paulownia Mall?"

Mitsuru gave a chuckle, "It is being… Renovated," she said, hiding a smile, "But back on the topic at hand, do you understand everything we have told you so far?"

Once again, Minako gave a slow nod. Now that she was informed about the Dark Hour, she began to feel that she had heard about this strange phenomenon before, but she didn't know where and when. Had she really heard about this before she had her memories erased? She wondered…

"Normal people don't realize it because they're sleeping in coffins. But that's not what makes the Dark Hour so interesting, creatures appear during the Dark Hour, and we have to fight them off," Akihiko explained, and then gave a mischievous smile, "Exciting, huh?"

"Akihiko! We were hurt just a couple of days ago because of them!" Mitsuru scolded, and then gave a sigh, "You never change," she muttered.

Mitsuru then glanced at Minako, continuing with her explanation, "Anyways, we call those creatures-"

"Shadows," Minako finished, and everyone turned to stare at her.

"H-How did you know?" Mitsuru stuttered, and then glared at Minako with her signature piercing eyes, "Where have you heard this before? Do you know anything else?"

"I-I don't know," Minako said sincerely, looking down at the floor as if she was guilty, "The word just… Popped up in my mind… And I don't know anything else except for that word…" she tried to explain as best as she could, but still, she was unsure if the others were to believe what she had said.

Mitsuru paused to continue glaring at the girl, before she decided to continue with her explanation, since the girl didn't look like she was able to explain any further, "These Shadows feeds on the minds of humans and their victims become a living corpse,"

"Eh?" the girl asked with shock, taken aback by how serious the situation is, "T-Then we can't just leave this situation alone! Can't we fight these Shadows so we can stop people from suffering?"

Mitsuru gave a chuckle once more, it seemed far easier to recruit Minako into SEES the way that she has been acting, "That's why SEES exists. We are members of the Special Extracurricular Execution Squad, we are another school club on paper, but we are dedicated to fight Shadows. I am the leader of the club, and Ikutsuki-san is the advisor," before Minako was able to ask even more questions, Mitsuru continued, "There are a few people who are able to stay awake during the Dark Hour, and even fewer have a special power to fight Shadows. This special power is called a 'Persona', the power that you used on the night of that incident. Us Persona-users are the only people are able to fight back against these Shadows,"

"Persona…" Minako muttered, as she tried to recall what they were from the very depths of her lost memories. She was hoping that she would be able to remember something about them, but nothing much came back to her. The only thing that she was able to remember is the fact that the word held much importance to herself, but there was nothing other than that.

"So, we want you to join us," Mitsuru said, unlocking the briefcase in front of her and then showing the contents of it: a gun. Minako stared at the gun, this was what she, herself, had called an 'Evoker' earlier all of the sudden, and the this gun looked very much similar to the 'Evoker' that she used a few nights ago, "We have prepared an Evoker for you, it is used to summon your Persona like you have done last time. Don't worry, it's not a real gun, it's only a replica,"

"Evoker…" Minako muttered. She had known the name of the gun by instinct, which meant that she must have known what it was before her memories were erased. Did that mean that she was a Persona-User before? Or still is? And did she join SEES before? But then why did they act as if she had come out of nowhere? Her questions had only further confused her, and it began to hurt her head, so she shook her head to clear it of any further mysteries, "Yes, I'm joining to fight the Shadows and save the people!"

Yukari gave a relieved sigh when she heard her friend's answer, "I was afraid you would say no, welcome aboard!"

Ikutsuki chuckled, "Well, then I guess you will be staying in the dormitory then, as this is a SEES only dormitory," he told Minako, "I hope you don't mind,"

Minako shook her head vigorously, "No, no, I don't mind, I love it here!"

"That's fantastic!" Ikutsuki replied with just the same amount of enthusiasm, "Well, all of you should get back to bed! The early bird catches the bookworm!" he laughed, as the SEES members laughed awkwardly at his terrible pun.

Minako was just about to leave for her room until she heard the shatter of glass and time had seemed to stop. She was surprised, but she was even more surprised to see a card come out of nowhere, a card with what looked like a traveller and his pet dog out of all things. A mysterious voice then appeared in her mind, informing the girl with a calm and soothing voice:

_"Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Fool-"_

The sound of a record scratch in her mind was heard, interrupting the calm voice. A sharp pain stabbed her in the head, and she fell to the ground. Time returned to normal. Her friends realized what had happened, and stared at her in surprise and confusion. Someone had called her name, but she was unable to discern who it was.

A mechanical voice then took over the calm and soothing voice, and was instead filled with anger and disappointment:

_"Thou art not the chosen one for this Social Link,"_

"W-What do yo-"_  
_

_"Begone!"_

Minako screamed when her pain intensified, it was as if someone was pounding her head with a hammer, and another person must have been stabbing her head multiple times simultaneously. She screamed again in pain, begging for the pain to stop. The other members of SEES, by then, were alerted, panicked, and in a confusion to what was happening, and tried to calmly ask for her to get up. But Minako was frozen, as if she had been nailed to the ground, as she held her hands to her ears in an attempt to scare away the pain, but that utterly failed.

"Make it stop! Make it stop!" Minako pleaded her friends, "Please! Please!"

Unable to do anything since Minako would not respond when they talked to her, and unable to watch any further, Mitsuru reluctantly ordered the two boys to bring the screaming girl to her room. Junpei and Akihiko did just that, with there girl still screaming in pain, and the others followed quietly behind.

When the girl had been laid down on her bed, Mitsuru ordered the boys to go back to their room, which they reluctantly complied to only after Mitsuru told them that the girls would take over the situation.

The three girls, Fuuka, Yukari, and Mitsuru, sat beside the bed where Minako had been laid down. The three tried to comfort Minako as best as they could, and they finally succeeded in making Minako sleep, but after a few hours of them doing so. At some point, Minako's pains had gotten to the point where tears were streaming down her face and she began to quiet down, only because she did not have any voice left, but still she had restlessly turned to her left and right and kept applying pressure on her head to try and get the pain out. But once the three knew that their job was done, they left, except for Yukari who thought it would be best to sleep in Minako's room to keep a watch on her in case she would be suffer again.

But Minako slept through the night, haunted by her nightmares. Shivers ran up and down her spine, and cold sweat swelters from her body. Unconsciously, she cried in her sleep…

* * *

Author's Notes: Usual disclaimers of Persona not being owned by me.

OK, much shorter than Chapter 1.

Yes, Elizabeth has a reason for acting that way, of course, but it's most likely going to take a long time until the revelation. You know, plot development.

Nicole: As I've said before, yes, I think I'm overdoing things… A bit. Well, we'll see.

Radiant: Thank you, and here's the update~ More to come!

Fanatical: Minako x Other characters will come soon after I get this chapter done with. I just needed to get these two scenes out of the way, then school days appear! And yes, like the above, I kinda overdid things. I'll try to keep it slow for now.

Thank you for reading and for the reviews! Again, reviews are appreciated!


	4. Chapter 3: Skill

The girl panted, her body weary and tired as she trudged through the bloody sludge, that had went up to her knee, in her dark surroundings. She wondered where she was, because, obviously, such a place to be in was really hard to believe.

"Hello?" she called out in hopes of finding someone out there in the musky place. She waited for five seconds, which turned into ten, which quickly turned into fifteen. Nope, nobody else was there. She was just all alone in the terrifying and mysterious place.

A growl. She quickly turned around to face the source of the growl, but it wasn't a human. Or at least, it resembled a human, but it was clearly not a human at the same time. The being resembled that of the… Shadow (or as her mind had told her earlier) that she had encountered in Paulownia Mall. Only smaller. Much smaller, just around her height.

"Minako…" it hissed as it reached out towards her with its blackened arms, "Arisato…"

Minako flailed back in response, trying to get away from the hand, only to slip and drop in the sludge, dirtying her uniforms with blood. She quickly scrambled up in the thick blood, slowing down her motions as she took a few slow steps back as she stared with fear at the being, "W-What… What…" she managed to stutter out, despite her fear.

"Minako… Arisato…" the Shadow continued hissing, moving towards the girl slowly, now showing its hunched back as its hands tried to grasp Minako's, "Why… Why did you…"

Minako jerked back because of the Shadow's movements towards her, though that didn't work out well and she only slipped once more. She then swiftly regained her footing, staring at the inching Shadow, "Wh-What… What did I…" she muttered as she tried to distract the Shadow.

"Why did you…" the Shadow continued, "Kill… Me?"

The girl was only left shocked when the Shadow suddenly lunged at her with great speed that it recently disguised with its hunched back. The Shadow's power wasn't a strength that could be easily outmatched either.

The Shadow had its hands wrapped around the delicate neck of Minako's, just close to choking her to death if it were to tighten its grip just a slight more. The Shadow raised its grip, bringing up Minako in the air solely by its grasp, but hurting Minako just that much more.

"Why… Did you… Kill us?" the Shadow continued to interrogate, which had become useless because Minako had lost her voice because of the hand on her throat and she simply didn't know why, she didn't know who the Shadow was and what she did to harm said Shadow.

Then the unthinkable happened, as more of the same Shadows began to rise out from the thick pool of blood, each hunched back, and each muttering out the same chant, "Why… Did… You… Kill… Us?" over and over again, as if trying to curse the girl into oblivion.

The surrounding Shadows began to inch closer and closer to Minako and the Shadow that was clutching the girl's neck. The surrounding Shadows raised their hands, as if they were just about to feast on the girl, still continuing their chant from before, "Why… Did you kill us? Why did you kill us?"

Minako parted her lips, trying to get her voice out and beg for forgiveness, "I… I…"

"… Ko-chan…"

Minako ignored it, "I…"

"…. Nako-chan…"

"I…"

"Minako-chan! Minako-chan! Wake up!"

* * *

Minako snapped her eyes open as she stared at Yukari in bewilderment, gripping her bed sheets with both surprise and fear, "What… Huh?"

Yukari sighed, "You were having a nightmare earlier, so I woke you up," she explained, "And it was a really bad nightmare too, are you alright now?"

"H-Huh?" Minako asked, still in confusion and shock of what she had seen in her dream.

Yukari gave a worried face to Minako at her confusion, "Do you feel better now?" she asked slowly, and then laid a hand on her friend's forehead, "You don't seem to have a fever…" she muttered.

Minako shook her head and sat upright, "No… I feel fine now," she said, giving a small smile, "My headache's gone,"

"Well, if you don't feel well, you should rest for today," Yukari told her.

"Hm…" she pondered for a while, regaining her energy as she shook her head to relieve herself of her nightmare. A nightmare was a nightmare, and not a reality. She shouldn't let it affect her. So with her usual cheeriness and enthusiastic manner, she pumped her fist into the air, "Nope! I feel fine now! I'll be able to get to school!"

Yukari was hesitant for a moment, but gave a slow nod, "Well… If you say so…" she told the girl, "But if you feel unwell, then don't push yourself,"

Minako nodded her head with even more enthusiasm, "Okay! I'll keep that in mind!" she said, "You don't have to worry about a thing!"

Her friend, relieved by Minako's cheery attitude, smiled, "Okay then, I'll be waiting for you downstairs," she then left the room, leaving Minako to her own to change and get ready for school.

Once Yukari was out of the room, Minako took a deep breath as she felt her body shook with fear from her previous nightmare. No, she had resolved that she would not be affected by her nightmare. A nightmare is a nightmare, nightmares do not come true in real life. Or, at least, that was what she remembered to the extent of her memories.

So she breathed out, dressed, walked down the stairs and ate breakfast, and left for school with the others.

* * *

"So, Minako-chan, what happened yesterday?" Yukari asked as they waited for the monorail to reach Gekkoukan.

"I… Don't know," Minako said honestly, "All of the sudden, just after the meeting last night, time stopped and there was this card, hovering in the air, and this voice said something about Personas of the Fool, but then it was quickly interrupted by another voice that said that I wasn't the chosen one for the 'Social Link' or something, and then the card disappeared and I got this massive headache,"

Yukari replied by a stare at Minako in confusion, "'Social Link'? Fool?" she asked, "Are you sure you're alright?"

Minako sighed, "I don't know what they were either, but I'm not lying! That really happened to me!" she insisted, "And I'm fine, I feel well now,"

"Well, if you say so," Yukari shrugged.

Minako contemplated about it, there was something, just _something_, that made her think that this situation with 'Social Links' is connected with the Velvet Room. Minako shuddered, the Velvet Room was somewhere in between dreams and reality, considering the fact that she visited the Room in her dreams, and received the glowing key in reality. Or… Was the key maybe just an illusion? The girl rummaged her pocket, and fingered an object with a key-like shape. Nope, still there.

But what made Minako so reluctant to go back to the Room was the fact that the attendant girl might still be there, thirsting for her blood. Should she risk going back in there in hope for answers?

The monorails screeched to a stop, interrupting the girl's thoughts, and opening its doors for its many passengers. The two walked out, heading straight for their school.

* * *

School went on as per normal, with Minako being the teacher's pet as she answered the questions correctly, placing her smiling demeanor as the teachers call her name. She quickly gained popularity, partly because of her intelligence and her relationship to the equally famous (but missing) Minato.

"Minako-chan!" said girl turned around to face the boy calling her name in the classroom, just after school had finished, "Minako-chan!"

Minako blinked at the boy who called her, who looked like a typical boy student with dark brown hair, who she was able to recognize as a boy from her own class. Kenji Tomochika, if she wasn't wrong, "Yes?"

"Minako-chan!" the boy repeated as he finally reached the girl's seat, "You've been gone for… Eight days, right? Are you alright now?"

"Yeah!" Minako replied with gleaming eyes, and nodded with great vigor, which is apparently now her trademark, "Healthy as ever! Thanks for asking!" she said as she gave a quick bow in appreciation.

"Yeah," Kenji nodded along, "You're Minato's cousin, right?" Kenji asked.

"Um… Yeah!" Minako replied, although quite hesitant at first, but quickly reverted back into his cheery personality, "Yeah, I'm his cousin!"

"Do you know how he is? I heard he was sick, and he hasn't been here for a long time, I was wondering when I'll eat ramen with him again…" Kenji muttered.

"Well, he's sick with…" Minako stalled, she didn't know whom this 'Minato' person was in the first place, just how was she going to be even able to lie about his condition, "With…"

"He's sick with a really, really bad fever!" Junpei interrupted, who came out of nowhere, "Right, Mina-tan?"

"Um, right!" Minako then nodded with great fervor, apparently over exaggerated nods are now her trademark, "He's sick with a really, really bad fever!" she then quickly glanced a 'thank you' to Junpei, and Junpei grinned back what seemed to be a 'no problem'.

"Oh man, that sucks! It's been so long too," Kenji shouted as he placed a hand on his head, closing his left eye in disappointment, "So no more ramen with him for a while then…" and he sighed.

"Hey, if you want to eat ramen with someone, then I can go with you! I'm starving!" she piped up, rubbing her belly.

Kenji grinned a very wide grin, and Minako had almost thought that his grin would be too long for even his face to contain, "Sure!"

"Hey, hey, can I come too?" Junpei cut in, "I'm hungry too!"

"The more the merrier!" Minako giggled, and noticing her dorm mate just about to go out of the class, she called out, "Yukari-chan! Do you want to come with us for ramen too?"

Yukari stopped in her tracks and looked at Minako, "Ramen?" Yukari then pondered for a moment before giving a smile, "Sure, I don't have archery today, so why not?"

Junpei gave a pout, "But then, Mina-tan, people will get the wrong idea and think that we're on a double date," his pout gradually grew into a grin, just about as wide as Kenji's, "Not that I'm complaining or anything…"

Yukari strutted over to the group and stomped on Junpei's foot, earning a wince from the boy, "Not in a hundred years, Stupei!"

"G-Geez, Yuka-tan, I was only joking…" Junpei said in pain, "No need to be so harsh…"

The group left the classroom and headed over for Hagakure, where they all ordered the specials and the chef quickly replied by giving them four, steaming hot, bowls of noodles (which looked and smelt delicious, of course).

"Careful, they're hot!" the chef warned as the steam from the noodles began to thicken, emphasizing his point.

While the girls patiently waited and heeded the chef's warning, the boys, on the other hand, ignored it and were rewarded by burned tongues.

"Ah! Ah! Hot!" Junpei exclaimed as he reached out for a glass of water and drank it all, Kenji following his actions with another glass of water. The chef only sighed and went with his other orders of ramen. Junpei panted as he began to calm down, trying to get rid of the numbness in his mouth, "But… It's so… Delicious!" he cried out as he dug back into the ramen. He didn't learn his lesson as he once again reached for another glass of water.

* * *

"So Kenji, what did you want with Mina-tan earlier?" Junpei asked suspiciously out loud, not even trying to hide his question from the girls. He then took another slurp of noodles and stared at his friend, "Did you… Maybe…?"

"Huh? What are you talking about? I was only asking if she's alright like any good classmate because she's been out for a while," Kenji asked in a confused manner as he raised one eyebrow, "Plus, don't you remember that I like… Someone… Already?" he said as he ended his sentence in a very, very hushed voice, not wanting the girls to hear what he was saying.

"You like someone already?" clearly his wants were not being granted, and clearly Minako has exceptional hearing, "Who, Kenji-kun?"

"Oh right, I forgot that you like THOSE kind of women," Junpei groaned and sighed.

"Hey, hey! Don't refer to them like that!" Kenji scolded, "They are _fine_ and _refined_, just like wine, you get me? The older the better!" he said smoothly.

"Who." Minako growled as she glared at the boy, disliking being ignored, "Kenji. Kun."

"I-It's…" Kenji started, blushing madly, "I-It's… You… You don't know her!"

"Well, it's more that it will be weird if you know, but I think you all know her well," Junpei sighed once more and grimaced.

"Who." Minako repeated once more, a scowl appearing on her face.

The name slipped out of Junpei's lips too fast before Kenji had a chance to stop him, "Kanou,"

And everyone was silent as Yukari choked on her ramen, "W-W-What?" she said as she finally got the ramen down her system, "Kanou… Kanou as in… Ms. Kanou? … O-Our… Teacher?"

Kenji sighed, though still blushing madly, or even blushing even more than before, "D-Dude, way to keep a secret!" he then glared at the two young ladies, "Y-You better not tell anyone, a-alright!"

"O-O-Our… Teacher…" Yukari seemed to have a harder time to be absorbing such information.

"Told ya," Junpei sighed, and returned back to his big bowl of ramen.

"I-I guess… Love has no… Boundaries…" Minako stuttered, still slightly shocked at the revelation.

"A-Ah! See! Minako-chan gets what I mean!" Kenji exclaimed, quickly recovering from his embarrassment, and then stared at the girl, "You understand, don't you?"

"O-Of course, Kenji-kun!" was all that Minako could say in an attempt to please her classmate, she giggled nervously, "Love is love…"

Kenji, on the other hand, was too absorbed in his own thoughts to even pick up on Minako's nervousness and stutter, "Yeah! See! Finally someone else gets me!" he said in proud achievement, his chest pumped out with his love for Kanou.

Yukari gave a sigh, "Seriously, I would never have thought that YOU, of all people, would like Kanou," she said, shaking her head, "Honestly, I thought you were in a relationship with Rio-chan. You know, the captain of the volleyball club? I have always seen you two together ever since middle school,"

"Oh, Rio?" Kenji clarified, "She's just a friend,"

Yukari could only stare with complete shock at Kenji's casual statement, her jaws gaping wide open. 'Wow, Kenji. Smooth,' was all that she could think of. Kenji gave a shrug and returned to his bowl of ramen as well, while Yukari gave it a few more seconds of shock before returning back into her bowl of ramen as well.

"W-Well, I-I guess that it is their…" Minako trailed off, and then just gave up and sighing at the very end. The meal was left with an awkward air as the group began to disperse one by one, each to their own destinations, after they finished eating their ramen.

* * *

The red-eyed girl woke up, and focused on what she could remember the night before. She gave a sigh; fortunately, she did not have a nightmare, unlike the night before. Rather, she didn't have a dream at all, and if she did, then she would have forgotten what it was.

She checked the clock. Five o'clock in the morning. Yup, just enough time.

* * *

Yukari woke up in a daze. She didn't get enough sleep last night, especially not after a nightmare of Kenji and Kanou marrying, and doing particular 'stuff' that only adults should do. She sighed, she can never erase that mental image from her mind ever again.

Damn that Junpei. She could do well without knowing about Kenji's crush.

It was then she remembered something else, ah, right! Today was her day to cook breakfast for everyone, ever since the 'mother' of the dorm had left. Yukari took a quick glance at her clock, and turned wide-eyed. Damn it, she overslept!

Yukari quickly rushed to the showers, did what she needed to do, changed her clothes, and ran down the stairs to prepare the breakfast, only to be greeted by a delicious smell out of the dining room. Yukari approached the kitchen to see a familiar figure preparing the meals, just like before.

"Ah, Minako-chan,"

The red-eyed girl turned to face the newcomer and gave a smile, "Yukari-chan! Good morning!"

Yukari gave a wave, "Morning, did you cook all of these?" she pointed to the dishes.

Minako nodded her trademark nod, "Yep! Mind if you help me set up the table, Yukari-chan?"

Well, it WAS supposed to be her turn today, so Yukari gave a nod and helped set up the table with the appropriate dishes. Junpei came around after a few minutes, claiming that the smell of the food woke him up, and helped the two with the table. The others came around soon enough, just in time for breakfast to be served.

Mitsuru gave a shook of her head, closed her eyes, and gave a small smile, "I am delighted that you woke up early to cook us breakfast, Arisato, but there is no need to cook for us whenever you can,"

"Oh no! It's fine, really!" Minako said, replying with a smile of her own, "This is my way of saying 'thank you' for helping me all this time!"

"Right, speaking of that, Arisato," Mitsuru said, replacing her emotions with a serious one, "How are you? Did you feel anymore pain from yesterday night?"

Minako shook her head, "Nope! I don't feel a thing now!"

Mitsuru smiled once more, "That is good to hear, and thank you for the breakfast, Arisato,"

Minako nodded once more, "You're welcome, and thank you for helping me all these times!" she then glanced at the clock, before giving a quick bow to her friends, "Ah! I'm late! I need to go earlier so I can catch up on my studies!" she exclaimed, then quickly waved at her friends before she went out of the dorm and ran over to school.

"Hm…" Fuuka muttered as she sliced a piece of pancake and put it in her mouth, and chewed, savoring the taste of the well-made dish, "This pancake… I think we have a recipe for it in the Home Economics club… Maybe it's just a coincidence…" she pondered as she began to eat the rest of the pancakes.

* * *

"Mina-tan!"

Minako turned and faced the boy, "Yes, Junpei-kun?"

"Hey, do you want to stop by Hagakure again?" Junpei asked, smirking, "I just found one thousand yen on the road today! It's my lucky day!"

"Junpei, you should return that money back to its owner," Minako scolded, wagging her pointer finger at Junpei as she tapped her feet on the ground, and turned back to walk out of the school gates, "That's not nice, you know!"

Junpei immediately changed his happy face into a pouting one, "Aw, come on, Mina-tan, the yen was just lying there on the road, alone and no one else in sight!"

Minako contemplated it for a while, tapping her finger on her chin, before coming to a decision, "Fine, Junpei-kun, I'll let it slide this time," she said, "But next time, don't do it again!"

Junpei sighed, "Yes, Mina-tan," he promised, but then changed his sad face into a wide grin, "Now, about that ramen…"

However, they had only taken just a step outside of the gates until they heard the shrieks and cries of flocking girls over to one spot.

"AKIHIKO-SENPAAAAAI!"

Minako jumped back to let a charging fan through, just in time before she got ran over herself, wide-eyed, she stared at the group of girls, "Oh wow, these girls are all for Akihiko-senpai?"

Junpei sighed yet again, "Yep, he's really popular with the ladies," he said, "Man, you don't even see this in TV! Dude, if only they flocked to me…" he muttered and grinned, earning a stomp on his foot from Minako.

However, when the group of girls began to approach Minako and Junpei, they scooted back in fear of being crushed by the girls. But fortunately, the group stopped walking and from inside of the group, Akihiko came out as the girls gave way, as if he was a king or a very charismatic prince, "Oh, you two, can I meet you at the police station in Paulownia Mall later if you're not busy?" asked Akihiko.

"Paulownia Mall?" Minako asked, raising an eyebrow, "I thought it was under renovation?"

Akihiko smirked, "Mitsuru finished fixing up the police station and the left side of the mall, so you should have no problem entering and getting to the station," he told the two, "So can I see you two then?"

"Aw, well, I was hoping that I would have some time with the ladies…" Junpei said, earning a glare from Minako and a shout from Akihiko's fan base which was something along the lines of, 'Ugh, get lost!' to which Junpei sighed, "Sure, I'm free,"

MInako nodded, "Yeah, I'll be there too!"

"Good to hear," Akihiko said, smiling at the two, "Well, I'll see you two later," and he went off with the girls trailing behind him like lost puppies.

"What do you think he wants from us in a police station, though?" Minako asked when the large group was out of sight.

"Last time, there was an officer who we bought weapons from for Shadow-hunting and Tarta-," Junpei stopped, "… Oh, we haven't told you what Tartarus is yet, have we? Well, it's better if we show you than tell. Anyways, how about we quickly grab some ramen and then go to the police station?"

* * *

When Akihiko said that Mitsuru fixed up the left side of the mall, he literally meant ONLY the left side of the mall.

The karaoke center and the right side was strictly off limits, and was closed off by a police tape, where many workers worked to no end on the right side. Minako shuddered, she had heard from Junpei along the way that the Kirijo family (Mitsuru's family) owned most of the properties on Tatsumi Port Island and that Mitsuru had 'powers'. Fast construction powers were powerful, it seemed. Though it might be because the left side wasn't affected… Too much. But after much staring at the insides of the mall, the two walked over (passing a few pieces of rubble along the way) to the police station.

"Excuse me…" Minako said as she pushed the door to the station inward, finding a lone officer manning the station and Akihiko chatting with him.

"Ah, this is the one I've been talking about," Akihiko said when he noticed the two enter, "This is officer Kurosawa, he supplies SEES with weapons,"

Minako bowed to the officer, "Nice to meet you, I am Minako Arisato," she said and stood upright again.

Kurosawa gave a nod, "The pleasure is all mine, I've heard much about you," he said, "I'm just an ordinary police officer, but it doesn't take a genius to know that something strange is going on,"

"I called you over to see which kind of weapon you are capable of handling so that Kurosawa-san can help supply it," Akihiko explained to the girl.

"But…" Minako started, "But I can't… Remember what weapon I can handle,"

Kurosawa nodded, "I was informed about your condition, so I thought that holding the weapon might help you remember what you are capable in,"

Minako gave a slow and reluctant nod, and Kurosawa went in deeper in the office, and the others followed him inside into what looked like a storage, but full of a variety of weapons, something that an ordinary police station wouldn't have.

Kurosawa took off a sword from the wall hanger and unseated it, and gave it to Minako, "Try it," he said.

Minako took it and swung it (albeit awkwardly and with the wrong hand grip), and then shook her head in dismay. Kurosawa took it back and gave her a dagger instead, to which she tried it and shook her head once more.

* * *

An axe, a mace, a bow and arrow, a rapier, and one gun later, Minako had still yet found her ideal weapon. Kurosawa sighed and Akihiko was getting impatient, and so was Junpei. Kurosawa looked around the storage room to find yet another kind of weapon. The varieties of weapons were getting limited now, what with Minako rejecting them all. Maybe the girl just wasn't cut out for fighting.

He was about to state it out loud before he saw that weapon. A weapon created from the motherland of Japan itself (although similar with other foreign weapons). Said weapon was not as popular as a sword, but people should know what it is. Although, it would be rare to find someone who would actually be able to use it, let alone master the techniques of fighting with the weapon.

So he picked up the weapon and shoved it to the girl, "Here, this is the last one that you will try. If you can't use it, then you can't use anything," he said strictly. Akihiko raised an eyebrow in confusion and surprise at the weapon, to which Kurosawa quickly responded, "It's a naginata, let her try it,"

Minako felt her grip around the weapon, carefully hovering her hands over the right positions. She tightened her grip on the naginata, and with complete confidence, she swung it like a professional.

A strike from above, another strike from below, a twirl in mid-air, and then the finishing blow!

Yep, she was perfect, emphasized by Kurosawa's surprised yet delighted face, Akhiko's wide-eyed surprise, and Junpei's mouth-gaping shock. Out of all the weapons, a naginata!

"Keep it," Kurosawa said when Minako was just about to return the weapon, "Free of charge, just this once,"

Minako's eyes beamed with gratitude and she hastily bowed, and looked as if she was ready to jump around the room with joy like a little kid. Thank God she didn't.

"I'm going to tell Mitsuru about this, meet us at the lounge this evening," Akihiko said, and then nodded to Kurosawa, "Thank you again,"

Kurosawa waved it away, "All for protecting this city," and Akihiko left the police station to go off for his own bowl of ramen, or that was what Minako had assumed.

Kurosawa gave her a case to carry around the naginata with, and after another quick bow of gratitude, Minako and Junpei left the police station, with Junpei off to do his own thing and with Minako off alone like a deer in headlights, since she rejected Junpei's offer to go along with him because she had this nagging feeling in her mind that she needed to do something in Paulownia.

So once Junpei was off, Minako thought about it.

And thought about it…

And thought about it…

And tho- Of course! How could she forget?

The Velvet Room!

* * *

Minako placed her right ear on the glowing blue door leading to the Velvet Room, intending to eavesdrop and listen if the attendant girl was there in the Room. She was grateful that the back alleyway hadn't been closed off.

She needed answers, and she needed answers desperately to stop such head-splitting headaches.

The Room was silent, very silent, and maybe even _too_ silent. But she deemed the coast clear anyways, she was getting quite confident because she had her naginata with her. So just as a precaution, she took out her naginata, swiftly opened the door and pushed it open, and got ready with her naginata immediately once again.

"Dear Minako, it will take you more than a mere stick with a blade to be able to fight fairly with Elizabeth," a voice said from within, "But do not worry, she is not here at the moment,"

Minako sighed securely and placed the naginata securely back in its proper place. She took it in with her and closed the door behind her, sitting on her chair as she did before on her first visit to the Velvet Room.

"I am growing worried about you, Minako," yet his face still gleams with his smile, as per usual, "If you are to take Elizabeth's powers lightly. It would be best to heed my warning when I say that she is not a figure to be messed with,"

Minako gave a nod to the long-nosed man in acceptance of the man's warning, but said nothing.

"I assume you have come for answers, yes?"

Minako nodded again.

"Then speak, and I will answer to the best of my ability,"

"Why does 'Elizabeth' want to kill me?"

"That, I cannot answer,"

"But you just said-"

"There are times when it is better for you to wait and let the answer come to you," Igor interrupted, "Than it is for others to answer it for you,"

"Who is Elizabeth?" Minako asked. If she couldn't find out about the reason why she wants to kill her, knowing her assailant is the next big thing.

Igor sighed, "Elizabeth… She is a resident of the Velvet Room, just like myself, and assists me in various subjects," he explained, "Although, the things that she is doing recently is of her own accord and wants,"

Minako wasn't very much convinced by his answer, but she knew that he would not answer her question about Elizabeth's reasons, no matter how many times she would ask him. So she asked another question instead, "What is a 'Social Link'?"

"Social Links are your emotional ties with others. Think of it as a 'bond' between you and another person," Igor answered, "The stronger your Social Links, the stronger your Persona abilities are,"

Minako made a mental note to ask more about Personas, since Igor was certainly knowledgeable about them, but she went on with the current topic, "If they are supposed to make me stronger, then why did they hurt me instead?"

"That… I do not know," Igor answered sincerely, "I apologize,"

Minako waved it away, "It's fine," though she was surprised that there were still a few things that Igor did not knew. Now, on to her next question, "What is a 'Persona'?"

"A Persona is a facet of your personality that reacts to external stimuli, in this case, your Evoker," he explained, "Think of it as a mask that you wear. But you are special, Minako,"

"Special?" she repeated the word in a questioning tone.

"Yes, special," Igor said, "You are a 'Wild Card'. Like the number zero, you hold limitless possibilities. You are able to handle multiple Personas, where others can only hold one, and summon them as needed,"

"Multiple… Personas?" Minako asked, deep in thought, "But all I can summon is Orpheus Telos… Or that was the name that came to my mind…"

Igor chuckled, "In time, Minako, you will realize your full potential," he said, "But being able to summon Orpheus Telos, out of all your Personas, is already quite a feat. It is reminiscent of your the very first Persona that you summoned: Orpheus,"

Minako waited for the 'Telos', but when she realized that Igor had finished speaking, she was surprised, "Just Orpheus?"

"Yes, she was the very first who heeded your call, and I believe that you two will meet again, in time," Igor said, "But that is irrelevant for now, and we do not have much time. Is there any more that you would like to ask?"

"Why am I special?"

"It is how Fate deals her cards, it is the reason why you are called the Wild Card," Igor answered, "And I am afraid that our time is up. Time marches on in your world, until we meet again…"

But before Minako was able to say anything, she was blinding by a glaring white light and before she knew it, she was already standing outside of the Velvet Room, holding her naginata case. She ransacked for the key, and she did find it, but when she tried the key on the Velvet Door, it didn't work.

So Igor must have been trying to keep her out of the Room, but for what reason? Wait, maybe Elizabeth was there? Or was she going to come to the Room in any moment and Igor knew it? Or was there another reason? But either way, Minako still couldn't go in the Velvet Room.

It's not like she needed to anyways, for all she knew, it was getting late. And didn't Akihiko say that there was going to be a meeting that evening?

* * *

"I'm glad you can make it, Arisato," Mitsuru said as Minako approached the already assembled group, "We wouldn't want to miss the Dark Hour today,"

"Why?" Minako asked, before it hit her, "Oh, are we going to fight Shadows today?"

Mitsuru nodded, "But first, we have to show you Tartarus, the Shadows' nest,"

"Tartarus?" Minako repeated, "Shadows' nest? Where is this 'Tartarus'? It sounds like tooth paste,"

Waving away the deja vu, Mitsuru continued, "Yes, we should get going now before the Dark Hour is here,"

The team then went on, leaving Ikutsuki behind. Minako pestered Mitsuru for information about what this 'Tartarus' was, but her lips were sealed, and all she could get from the others were all about being patient (plus a teasing chuckle from Junpei). So Minako stopped and huffed, and wondered what this 'Tartarus' would be like.

But what she did not expect, however, was when the group arrived in front of Gekkoukan and Mitsuru saying, "We're here,"

"W-Wait a minute, you're saying that there are Shadows here?" Minako asked, baffled by the turn of events, "I-In our school? W-What's going on?"

Mitsuru's lips pursed into a small smile and she closed her eyes, "Be patient, Arisato, the Dark Hour is near,"

_23:59:57_

_23:59:58_

_23:59:59_

_Dark Hour_

Under the eerie green light from the eerily green moon, with the confused stare from the girl, Gekkoukan underwent its demonic transformation into Tartarus, as it did every midnight The peaceful school had just changed into a blood-covered green tower right in front of her eyes, and it had became a 'nest' for Shadows.

Her school: a nest for beings that feed on human minds.

Mitsuru glanced at Minako's reaction, and chuckled, "Arisato," she said, "Welcome to Tartarus,"

* * *

Author's Notes: Finally finished this long chapter after a long time of procrastinating and schoolwork.

Something that I have forgotten to write in last time, thank you for the script guide in Gamefaqs by Riou_McDohl, it helped a lot in terms of the dates and all that.

Oh, right, timeline. If I were to say, then currently, this chapter would just be a couple of days before Hierophant and Lovers Shadows. The more definite date will be up in the next chapter, once I finish going back and checking that the timeline is in check.

Sly: Yes, Minato will come back. ... In a while. I can't promise that he'll be back soon, or that will be too soon.

Radiant: xD If she doesn't suffer, she won't gain her memories. No pain, no gain!

D: ... No. Just no.


End file.
